History Main / WizardDuel

* ''Film/DungeonsAndDragonsHonorAmongThieves'': Simon, a sorcerer, faces off with Sofina toward the end of the film, who's a Red Wizard of Thay.

* ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' has Beatrice vs Virgilia and Battler vs Beatrice, which was more like the bloodiest, most spectacular ''debate'' the world has ever seen. ''End of the Golden Witch'' has similar debates, only some of them even have laser ''[[SinisterScythe scythes]]'' and summoning [[HolyHandGrenade angels]]. It doesn't even have to be a real debate, bickering over [[spoiler:candy]] is enough of an excuse to break out all the spectacular spells and summons in the Umineko world.
** When debates involve ghost dragons, flying stakes, and red laser swords we can sufficiently count them as Wizard Duels.
** Especially considering Umineko can be argued as being in the fantasy genre. Magic makes up a very large part of the series. Whether it's real or not is an important concept of the game Beatrice and Battler play.
* ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'':
** Yuki versus [[spoiler:Ryouko]]. Data manipulation rather than magic, but that hardly matters from the audience's point of view.
** Parodied with Yuki versus Mikuru in "The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina Episode 00", which consists of Yuki waving a wand and producing [[StylisticSuck extremely low-budget special effects]].
* Lina Inverse vs. Vrumugun, Zelgadiss vs. Copy Rezo in the first season of ''Literature/{{Slayers}}''. The later seasons did not involve enemy wizards or sorcerers, they [[SortingAlgorithmOfEvil moved on]] to DemonLordsAndArchdevils, {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and so on.
* As Ninjutsu in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' progressively establishes itself as MagicByAnyOtherName, with a fairly elaborate [[MagicAIsMagicA rules and complexity system]], the battles become more and more arcane as the manga goes on. The FinalBattle is essentially a contest of energy attacks, shapeshifting, summon magic and reality warping; and the fight with the PostFinalBoss is more of the same, only with CombatBreakdown at the end once the combatants have exhausted all their [[{{Mana}} chakra]].
* Shouta gets challenged to a magic duel by a bully during the mage exam arc in ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid''. [[CurbStompBattle He takes them out in about three seconds by teleporting behind them and casting a sleep spell]].

** In the very first episode, Glynda Goodwitch tries to prevent Roman Torchwick's plane from escaping, but ends up engaging in a magic battle against the pilot, Cinder Fall. What ensues is a duel where Glynda controls the weather and transforms the ensuing debris into large objects, only to be countered by Cinder's spontaneous outbursts of fire.

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' has institutionalized this, in which one of the acceptable forms for a formal duel is a contest of "energy", meaning solely magic. Harry though tends to do various other interesting/crazy/insane things to win fights. In the first book ''Literature/StormFront'' [[spoiler:Harry's greater strength and experience gave him an advantage he needed to make up for fighting on Shadowman's home turf]]. The only formal magical duel he's been in was in ''Literature/{{Changes}}'' [[spoiler:in which he fought the ancient vampire Arianna Ortega. She was put at a significant disadvantage by this, because as a vampire she was unaccustomed to purely magical combat.]]

* In ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'', this is how control of the family wizarding power is resolved; the child who wins the Family Wizard Competition becomes a full wizard and gains complete powers, while the losers are BroughtDownToNormal. In TheMovie, Alex and Justin are forced to execute the duel significantly earlier than expected to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong. In the series proper, [[spoiler:no actual duel occurs at the end of the series, but the instead involves a series of three different competitions which include multiple [[SecretTestOfCharacter Secret Tests of Character]].]]

* In ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'', this is how control of the family wizarding power is resolved. It's implied that at some point in the series Max, Justin and Alex will have to have a three way fight.

If the win condition involves the death of an opponent, see DuelToTheDeath. If the magic users are specifically using VoluntaryShapeshifting spells to get the upper hand, it's a ShapeshifterShowdown.

* Though not an actual fight, but Ged's attempt to outdo a schoolyard rival with flashy demonstrations of magic led to tragedy in ''Literature/AWizardOfEarthsea''.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Circe fights the White Magician, but unfortunately her clinging to and recent transition from her mortal Donna Milton persona greatly weaken her despite her superior magical knowledge so her biggest contribution is teleporting his brainwashed and magically enhanced mooks away, while implying the magic he's using is going to kill him soon anyway. She's not wrong, but he manages to finish off ComicBook/{{Artemis}} before his magic burns him to ashes.

* Naturally, with characters like [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Ganondorf]], [[VideoGame/EarthBound Ness]], [[VideoGame/KidIcarus Palutena]] or [[Franchise/FireEmblem Robin]], ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' has a lot of these. Virtually every character can hurl some kind of spell or use some kind of psychic powers.

* ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'': ''Certamen'' is a formal contest of wizardly skill that channels the magi's arts in flashy but non-lethal forms, usually ending in exhaustion at worst. It's the preferred method in the [[MagicalSociety Order of Hermes]] for settling disputes that have gone beyond just words. Any conflict for which ''certamen'' doesn't suffice is almost by definition one in which one side or the other is seriously out for blood, which the Order generally frowns on.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In the very first episode, Glynda Goodwitch tries to prevent Roman Torchwick's plane from escaping, but ends up engaging in a magic battle against the pilot, Cinder Fall. What ensues is a duel where Glynda controls the weather and transforms the ensuing debris into large objects, only to be countered by Cinder's spontaneous outbursts of fire.

* ''Fanfic/ThisPlatinumCrown'': Unicorn nobles have these when they have a dispute they cannot otherwise peacefully resolve. First a time, a place, and a type of weapon (a variety of baked good) are selected and treated with a contact sedative. Then, each unicorn attempts to cream the other with said baked good until either one hits the other, humiliating them, or each pony runs out of ammo. If both run out of cake, cupcake, pie, or what have you, then they can either decide to walk away amiably with their honor sufficiently defended, or go for a duel ''[[DuelToTheDeath à outrance]]''.

* ''Fanfic/MyChoicesTwistedTalesThroughTime'': In the past, insults and feuds among wizards were resolved using duels of magic, where the two individuals faced off and went at each other with their full magical power, sometimes resulting in grievous injuries for one or both participants. By the present day they're long since outlawed and viewed as a barbaric custom, leaving Twilight rather flat-footed when, while newly stuck in the past, she accidentally insults Starswirl V and finds herself challenged to such a duel.
* ''Fanfic/ShinjiAndWarhammer40K'' had a spectacular battle between Shinji and Kaworu. True, no actual magic was involved -- but Shinji's godlike expertise with psychics and AT-field manipulation was utterly awesome.

* ''Fanfic/ThePowersOfHarmony'': Twilight and Trixie engage in one when they confront each other in the Hollow Shades. Thanks to the combat spells learned from her Guards, Twilight eventually overpowers Trixie, only for Trixie to retaliate thanks to the power of the [[ArtifactOfDoom Alicorn Amulet]]... until she realizes it's corrupting her and fights it, which causes her to pass out.
* Being a ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' fanfic, ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'' features some of these. Friendly examples (which Quirrell disparages as a sport) include Daphne challenging Neville to a duel when he and Harry attack her mock-army -- hostile examples include Quirrell vs. Auror Bahry.
* ''Fanfic/{{Webwork}}'' has Daolon Wong challenging Uncle to one of these after his escape from prison.
* Both subverted and played straight in ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'', and usually played for laughs.
** Dumbledore and Grindelwald's legendary duel is mentioned. Also mentioned is a previous duel between Doctor Strange and Grindelwald, the latter having become equivalent to a [[PhysicalGod Greater God]] via a DealWithTheDevil or half-a-dozen. The duel itself all but levelled Berlin and left Grindelwald in an exhausted heap, [[BroughtDownToBadass reduced to "just" his native magical powers]]. Strange, by all accounts, quite literally strolled away whistling, leaving him on a plate for Dumbledore.
** In chapter 60, Loki, hunting Death Eaters, notes that when people think of wizard duels, they imagine bursts of multi-coloured power, StuffBlowingUp, and maybe a ShapeShifterShowdown.
-->[[LemonyNarrator Transforming opponents into stone statues is a classic, and much applauded, though it is usually expected after a long and exhausting duel. It adds a certain mystique to the battlefield. Shrinking them down and pocketing them, however, does not. The amount of fucks that were given by Loki at this point coincidentally happened to be exactly zero.]]
** And in the middle of the BigBadassBattleSequence in the finale of the first book, Strange does this again, this time against EvilSorcerer Gravemoss, already a Loki-level {{Necromancer}} before he'd got hold of [[TomeOfEldritchLore the Darkhold]]. He comfortably holds his own, ''while simultaneously'' using AstralProjection to give [[spoiler: Jason Todd]] a RousingSpeech to get him to complete his HeelFaceTurn and take up [[spoiler: ''Fidelacchius'', the Sword of Faith]]. Once that's finished, he returns to his body and [[CurbStompBattle utterly crushes Gravemoss]].
** Harry Dresden and Carlos Ramirez get into one in the sequel with Voldemort. Who swats the former like a fly and spends the entire time toying with Dresden and rifling through his brain for useful information until Dresden gets lucky and manages to hurt him. Cue an enraged Voldemort [[LetsGetDangerous cutting the crap and almost killing Dresden in about three seconds flat]], only being prevented by Wanda's intervention.
** Prior to the above, Wanda ends up in a full on sorcerous slugging match with Cowl, an exceptionally powerful necromancer. It's very even, forcing him to sucker-punch her, and her to resort to risky tactics to disrupt his rite of ascension, whereupon he [[KnowWhenToFoldEm decides to]] [[VillainExitStageLeft cut his losses]].
** In ''Unfinished Business'', the sequel's side-story, Strange eventually gets in a vicious duel with [[spoiler: Nimue]], who's amped up with the full power of Project Pegasus, making her a godlike repository of magical power. Unfortunately for her, Strange has spent ''eons'' fighting beings like her, and thanks to her successful psychological warfare, is ragingly pissed off. This results in a brutal duel which is mostly her trying to survive as he beats the pants off her.
* ''Fanfic/GuardiansWizardsAndKungFuFighters'':
** As per ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' canon, there's several magical fights between Uncle and Daolon Wong. Results vary depending on the fight.
** In Chapter 22, Nerissa decides that Wong is a threat to her plans and [[EvilVersusEvil takes him on]], leading to a clash of her Raw Magic against his Chi Magic, with both also using the Talisman powers they stole earlier in the story. It ends with a draw.
** Chapter 24 sees Wong finally make [[TheStarscream his move against Phobos]], leading to a magical throwdown between them. [[spoiler: Wong wins, only to be backstabbed by Miranda and Roberta, allowing Phobos a chance to take back the upper hand.]]

* In ''[[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]]'' Tim ends up stuck in the middle of a fight between ComicBook/KlarionTheWitchBoy and a criminal from Limbo Town. Tim notes he's way out of his depth and things have gotten incredibly weird in record time seeing as Klarion's opponent is fusing magical creatures together to make a giant monster.